With the Steelers, "Potential" Is Far From "Perfection"

The Steelers OLine - One Unit Full of "Potential"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are half way through their preseason schedule, and to be quite frank...it hasn't been pretty.  The Steelers apologists are out in full garb as they try damage control for those members of SteelerNation that are contemplating cancelling their "NFL Sunday Ticket" before week 1 just to avoid watching this team for 16 games (because in their minds the postseason is simply laughable).  I find myself in the middle of the two sides.  I certainly can understand that there is no need to "freak out" or jump to the conclusion that the Steelers will not be successful after two games that mean absolutely nothing.  I can also see that what I watched the past 2 games was not pretty.  Not pretty in alot of different ways that have all been diagrammed on my site following the preseason games.  The one thing that keeps ringing true with me is simple...the Steelers possess a massive amount of "potential", but unfortunately "potential" is far from "perfection" as we have all seen these past two weeks.

When people speak of the Steelers' potential, the first unit that comes to mind are the rookies that are expected to make an impact on this team.  Whether its Jarvis Jones potentially starting at Right Outside Linebacker, Markus Wheaton as the slot WR, Le'Veon Bell as the "premiere" RB, or even Shamarko Thomas as safety depth and a special teams ace. All are expected to contribute in one way, shape, or form.  All of the above players listed scream of potential.  "Sky's the limit" for these young kids that are about to embark on their first NFL season, but the issue with youth, is that inexperience walks hand in hand with it.  Relying on these players to play above their years is a tough task to undertake, but its up to the coaching staff to get them acclimated as fast as possible.

The next group that comes to mind, in terms of potential, is the Offensive Line.  This is a unit that is young, slender, and fast, but also very inexperienced.  When Ramon Foster and Maurkice Pouncery embody the "veterans" of the group...you know you've got a young group.  That doesn't mean that they can't play, but as the MNF game vs the Redskins showed...when inexperience creeps into the mind...penalties and blown assignments occur.  With this group, thats more often than not.  If this line can stay healthy (a HUGE if) and play together for years to come it could be one of the best line's the Steelers have ever seen.  Until then, its the growing pains that the team will have to carry with them as they plug through this 2013-2014 season.

This team has potential in other areas that I could write about, but those two units are the primary offenders when I think about it, and you don't need a position by position breakdown of the potential on the Steelers' roster.  The main idea here is simple...where potential lies, so does inexperience, and fans need to understand that.  There are going to be times when plays are made and that potential shines through.  At the same time will be the occasional "holding", "illegal hands to the face", "illegal formation" call that brings a play back.  This team is going to have to learn on the fly in a lot of different ways.  You just hope that it isn't at a crucial juncture of the season.  This team is going to have its moments, and its up to the coaching staff and the veterans to make sure those moments are the good variety and not the bad, but SteelerNation needs to learn to understand that "potential" doesn't mean "perfection"...at least not right away.